Growing Up and Staying Covered

Disclosure: I am a Florida KidCare ambassador. All thoughts and opinions are purely my own.

The Frog Princess turns 8 this month. How did this happen?!?

Weren’t we just talking about diapers and sleep training? Sheesh!

I’ve been planning for her birthday party, though. Freaking out on cue about where we will celebrate, time, invitations, gifts and party bags (side note: why do I have to give kids gifts when they come to the party? I’m putting a pin in this to discuss later.).

(how has it already been a year since I took this! Look ma! No teeth!)

November is always chock full of to do’s. It doesn’t help that her birthday is so close to Thanksgiving. I’m always planning two things at once and praying I don’t drop any plates.

Although it’s busy, it’s also the perfect time for me to schedule her annual physical. Yup, I try to do it around her birthday. With the threat of febrile seizures, I’ve learned to navigate around those times when we’re scheduled to vaccinate so that she isn’t feverish on her big day, but this call gets made right along with the ordering of the cake.

It’s so important to get kids (and yourselves!) regular check-ups. This is where I chat with the pediatrician about any concerns I might have, where she reminds the Frog Princess that she was “this big” when she first met her.

There are 257,000 kids without insurance coverage today in the state of Florida. Of those kids, 147,000 could have their annual exams done by the end of the year because they are eligible for completely free or low-cost health and dental insurance with Florida KidCare.

If your kids are covered and your check-up is done: 1. Yasssssss! and 2. Can you help me spread the message to your network? Nobody knew I didn’t have coverage for the Frog Princess when I was unemployed, and I bet there’s someone scrolling through your social media timelines that needs this information. You can click and share this tweet:

Text: Getting kids covered is always in season! Let’s give them a healthy start during the holidays. Year-round enrollment. There are 147,000 kids in Florida that qualify for Florida KidCare. It’s easy to find out if you’re one of them. bit.ly/flkidcare

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go figure out what outfit goes well with indoor play place birthday madness!

Chief Executive Mami

Sili Recio is a mom, writer and advocate based in Orlando, Florida. She is also a staff member at MomsRising, a grassroots organization advocating for moms and families. Sili is deeply committed to changing the world and works daily to inspire and empower women through storytelling and advocacy.